We visited the home of Debbie and Larry Culwell in Olympia, Washington, one of the winners of our 2012 “Win Danny and His Crew for a Day Contest,” to convert an unused storage room in their house into a cool crafts project center.
Clean Up and Repair
Over the years the Culwell’s unused playroom had evolved into a catch-all storage area, so the first step in our craft center conversion was to clear everything out of the room. The old carpet on the floor was removed next; and since the foam carpet pad had been glued to the floor, it required a lot of tedious hand scraping to remove it.
Preparing the walls for painting required patching a hole in the drywall and filling numerous small holes left behind by a dart board in the room. Once the joint compound was dry, the walls were painted with Behr Green Tea paint, and a new fluorescent light fixture from The Home Depot (Hampton Bay Winslow, model HBF1332-273) was installed to brighten up the room.
Flooring and Cabinets
Resilient vinyl plank flooring from Shaw Flooring (Northampton Resilient, Cascade Acacia) was installed next. This material makes a great DIY project, since it can be cut by scoring with a utility knife without the need for power tools.
Watch our video on How to Install Laminate Flooring to find out about installing a similar DIY-friendly flooring material.
Stained wall shelves and base cabinets to house craft supplies were installed along one wall of the room.
The work surface on top of the cabinets was made from stained 3/4″ birch plywood with 1×2 solid wood band around the edges.
Watch our video on Workbench Options to find out more.
Finishing Touches
To give the room a finished look, curtains made from patterned bed sheets were hung on the windows. Cork tiles were attached to the wall behind the work area so push pins can be used to hang pictures of projects in progress.
Bar stools, with color coordinated fabric cushions, and floor mats provided the final touches for our craft project room makeover.
Other Tips from This Episode
Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
PVC Pipe Paddle Mixer Handle
A paddle mixer chucked into an electric drill works great for mixing paint or joint compound. To allow better control when mixing, cut a piece of 1/2″ PVC pipe about a foot long, and slip it over the shaft of the mixer to serve as a handle to hold while the mixer is turning. (Watch Video)
Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
Rust-Oleum Tile Transformations Kit
Rust-Oleum Tile Transformations is a two-part, epoxy coating that allows you to give tile walls the look of natural stone in a weekend. The coating is tintable in 14 different colors and won’t crack, chip, or peel. Rust-Oleum Tile Transformations is available at The Home Depot. (Watch Video)
Ask Danny Lipford:
Choosing the Right Paint Sheen
Paint sheens range from flat to high gloss, with eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss in between. While flat paint is good for hiding imperfections on walls, eggshell wall paint is easier to keep clean. Satin or semi-gloss paint is the best choice for bathroom walls. High gloss works well for trim. (Watch Video)
